Chapter 9
982 Words
It was some minutes past 8p.m when Alice heard the front door open and Sheila walked into the living room of the two-bedroom apartment they shared. Alice jumped up from the couch where she lay going through the emails Sterling Industries had sent to her, as Evan said they would.
“Hey, Sheila. Welcome home,” she greeted her friend.
“Thanks, Alice. What’s up? You didn’t get back to me on the interview.” Alice rolled her eyes.
“I sent you a text, Sheila. I’m guessing you didn’t even see it. I was wondering why you hadn’t replied or called. And I didn’t want to call you cause I knew you’d be busy.” Sheila dug into her tote bag and brought out her phone. The message she thought was from Steven was actually from Alice. A smile broke out on her face as she read the text and she pulled her roommate into a big hug.
“Congratulations!” she squealed in excitement, while Alice laughed and told her, amidst the laughter, not to squeeze her too hard.
“You’re gonna make me puke out my dinner.”
“To hell with that. You got a job, Alice! A permanent position at Sterling Industries! Girrrrrrrl!” Sheila kept cheering.
“I know, right? Personal secretary to Evan Sterling. I don’t like the guy, but hey, I like the money his company is gonna pay me, because a lot of things I like can’t be gotten if I don’t have the money to get it.” Sheila chuckled and then got all serious again.
“Has Clinton Clark tried to reach you again?” The wide smile on Alice’s face vanished as she heard Sheila’s question.
“He hasn’t. But I don’t want to think about it much.”
“You cannot avoid it, Alice. This man could be dangerous…”
“Or he could just be bluffing, thinking I’d fall for it and come back to Kings’ Group.”
“Really, Alice? You think Clark is bluffing? We should have reported him to the police after he’d tried to r**e you. That way, he would have been…”
“Please. Please, Sheila. Can we not talk about Clinton or anything related to him right now? I just want to be grateful for this ray of mild sunshine in my life today,” Alice cut in. She really was not in the mood to recall events she was trying to forget.
“Mild? You calling Sterling mild?” Sheila scoffed
“Yes, mild, because I don’t like my boss. And, now come to think of it, I’ve never liked any of my bosses.”
“Do we ever like our bosses?” Sheila asked, laughing.
“Easy for you to say. You are your own boss and your staff adore you. I made dinner. But you’ll have to microwave it because I already stuffed it in the freezer.”
“Nah, I ate at the restaurant. I’ll just have it for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you. By the way, I’ve got some news for you,” Sheila said, heading to the couch and sitting down.
“Shoot,” Alice replied, sitting on the armchair opposite the couch. Sheila had a little smile on her face, so Alice knew it wasn’t bad news.
“Steven asked me out today.”
“What?” Alice blurted out. “Oh my God, Sheila! Sneaky Steven. I knew he had the hots for you. What took him this long?”
“Alice, stop. I dunno what to do. Steven is my business’ accountant. And I know we’ve known him for so long and trust him a lot, but I feel like dating him will be awkward if we later break up and he still hangs on being my accountant.”
“Why are you thinking about the worst, Sheila? Why are you planning a breakup for a relationship that just started?”
“It hasn’t started yet. I haven’t told him yes yet.”
“Heck, call him up and tell him then.”
“Have you heard nothing I said at all?” Sheila asked, waving her right hand frantically.
“Steven’s a good guy, Sheila. I know that and you know that very well too. You’re just scared and I feel like this is the way you should start new things. When you’re scared. Because if you don’t, you’ll let fear make you lose out on something beautiful that would have been.”
“Sometimes you make a lot of sense,” Sheila teased. The two girls laughed.
“But seriously, Sheila. I think you should give him a chance. You can’t know if you don’t try.”
“True. I mean, who would have known you’d leave your old job? You were so dedicated to it even when you were going through a lot of bullying.”
“And who knew you’d ever start First Bites just after grad? It used to be a far fetched dream back in college?”
“Thank you, Alice. I just knew you would have the right words for me. And if you said I shouldn’t date Steven, I wouldn’t. I trust your judgement that much.”
“And I trust your wisdom and wits. Now, allow me cheer!” Alice exclaimed, threw up her hands and let out an excited yell.
The two girls spent the rest of the evening sorting out through Alice’s wardrobe for clothes she could wear for her first week of work. It was a lot of work and eventually, they got hungry and shared the mashed potatoes and gravy Alice had saved for Sheila’s dinner.
As they went to bed that night, both girls felt that the coming day was bringing the start of beautiful beginnings in their lives that had been too busy and chaotic lately.
- Writer
